Utah sheriff’s deputy rescues boy from icy water, officials say

A sheriff's deputy in southern Utah punched through the frozen pond on Monday to rescue a drowning boy.
(Washington County Sheriffs Office via AP)

A Utah sheriff’s deputy saved an 8-year-old boy who fell through an icy pond while chasing his dog, authorities said.

Police said a group of children were playing near a pond in New Harmony on Monday evening when a boy’s dog ran off, KUTV reported. A boy in the group followed it out onto the pond when the ice cracked and he fell in.

Unable to get him out on their own, the other children ran for help and authorities were called to the scene, the outlet said.

Sergeant Aaron Thompson of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office arrived first and “made the personal decision” to attempt the rescue without using any equipment, according to a press release obtained by Fox 13.

Thompson forced a path through 25 feet of ice to where the boy was stuck, ultimately freeing and bringing him back on land, Lt. David Crouse of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office told the outlet.

“He and another citizen were actually able to break through the ice, go into the water, and retrieve the boy out of the pond,” Crouse said. “He was taken to a nearby ambulance.”

The boy is believed to have been in the near-freezing water for about a half hour until he was rescued, Thompson said at a news conference Tuesday. The officer previously had served on a search and rescue dive team and located the child in an area where a woman reported seeing his hand minutes before.

“I couldn’t feel anything. I didn’t notice anything when I was doing it,” Thompson said. “I knew that time was of the essence. I had a very short window to get that child out of the water.”